To the Least and to the Lost

Mission and Ministry Series
Old Mystic, October 4, 2009
Matthew 25:31-46

Summary

The parable of the Judgment of the Nations—not exactly a parable—portrays a cosmic vision of the coming of the kingdom of God, a vision that, in spite of the harsh words of judgment, offers hope. Jesus’ call to be fully human and responsible for the wellbeing, life, and future of all people across all divides makes us builders of the kingdom and hopeful about a future of peace beyond our limited human imagination.

Sermon

I don’t think many of us enjoy some of the harsh words of judgment that we often find in the Scriptures. Images of hell and the idea of eternal punishment seem to be foreign to the understanding of a God of love who cares about creation and above all about us, who we often refer to our own selves as the “crown” of that creation. At the same time, the passage of the Judgment of the Nations, declares that the coming of God’s kingdom will not happen without a day of reckoning. In other words, we have a responsibility, we are accountable, and we have an opportunity. Jesus was not talking to a group of criminals awaiting execution; he was addressing the disciples and inviting them to the wondrous, amazing, and unique opportunity of being like him.

Interestingly, the passage is preceded by two parables: the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids and the parable of the Talents. The first one is a call to readiness; the second one is a call to responsibility. Keeping this in mind, the cosmic vision of the day of reckoning, which I prefer to call the coming of the kingdom, is Jesus’ appeal to purpose and action. It is a reminder of our responsibility to be transformers of the world as we walk on earth increasingly reflecting the character of Jesus Christ.

In the weakness of our humanity we have the tendency to look at this passage focusing on the dualism of goats and sheep. We see a clear definition of boundaries and we tend to separate—falling into the pits of many other dualisms—between good and bad, faithful and unfaithful, saved and unsaved, elected and not elected, conservative and liberal, or right and left. And we can continue with a long list of ways in which we can be separated. I believe the message is not about separation, or about distinctions. What I’m preaching today is a message of readiness and responsibility, of reckoning and accountability, and of mission and ministry.

We don’t have today, since the day of reckoning is still not here, two groups of people. We cannot count as we look into the world who are the goats and who are the sheep. There’s only one group, the human race, which God in his infinite mercy is painstakingly saving in Jesus Christ. And in this group we have the least and the lost. The least, those who are deprived of the fullness their humanity; those who are oppressed, brokenhearted, in prison, persecuted, on a refuge camp, or immersed in the most abject poverty. I don’t need to show statistics to prove how large is the number of human beings living in this predicament in today’s world.

The least are with us, among us, and everywhere. Sometimes we see them as a faceless mass; we may even refer to them simply by the use of this word: “them,” with no name, no future, and no business in the world as it is. It is not by chance that the scriptures are full of references of God’s preference for them, the least. It is precisely for that reason that Jesus said: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” As some theologians like to put it: God takes the side of the poor.

Jesus’ powerful image of a judgment tribunal is not just a summons to individuals; it is call to responsibility to groups, churches, associations, states, and nations. It asks for action that is not just a “band-aid” type of solution. It is about people who walk with Christ, serve like Christ, and transform structures both in the private and the public arenas, structures of oppression that continue to perpetuate the tragic fate of the least in this world.

But as I said, the day of reckoning is still not here so we don’t have two groups. We have the least—which sadly happen to be the majority in the present world! But we also have the lost; those who still fail to see things fully as God wants us to see them. And, to a great extent we are all lost—and goats, perhaps, because, who are they righteous? Even if we want to call ourselves the sheep to make the list of those who are on the “right side” on the Day of Judgment, let’s not forget that sheep without a shepherd would be completely lost. In our humanity, with our weaknesses, our shortcomings, and our sins, we are lost when we fail to become fully human like Jesus Christ; when we fail to be our brother or sister’s keeper; when we have trouble to understand the great commandment of loving God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.

But there is good news, the good news of the gospel. Christ comes into our lives to change them, to transform them, to save them. He is the good shepherd and he is guiding us in the process of becoming fully human—that is, like him, as we walk in a world where the least and the lost are being found. And he has a task for us, the task of being kingdom builders. It is a matter of purpose and a matter of action. Our purpose is to transform the world—our mission; and the action is our ministry, the task of doing all the things we can do wherever we are.

We will all love to hear Jesus’ words: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” God does not want to loose anyone! He wants to embrace those who suffer and he those who cause the suffering. Aren’t both the least and the lost in the same predicament? We may feel, perhaps, that we are in such a predicament so I want to remind us that we can always come to the arms of the Living and Loving God in Jesus Christ. I also need to challenge us to walk with Christ in this world and, as we grow in him to become fully human, let’s assume our responsibility of loving people, of doing good to people, and changing things that need to be changed. Wherever we go, in our homes and places of work; in the factory and in the office; in private and in public; in the church and in the world; let’s go and love people, meet needs, be transformed, and fulfill our mission and ministry.